Campbell's progress 'very encouraging'

On Thursday, Cleveland Browns quarterback Jason Campbell returned to the practice field after being cleared by medical officials.

The Cleveland Browns got a boost Thursday with the return of quarterback Jason Campbell, who had missed four straight days of practice and nearly 10 days of meetings while going through the league’s concussion protocol.

The return of Campbell, who suffered a concussion in the Browns’ 27-11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 24, was a “very encouraging” sign for first-year head coach Rob Chudzinski.

“Jason Campbell has been cleared to practice today,” Chudzinski said. “He still has not and will not pass the independent neurologist test until we see how he does today and the next 24 to 48 hours, obviously, we would have more information on that.

“He would need to pass that before he would be cleared to play in the game. Brandon Weeden, same status with him. As far as (Alex) Tanney and (Caleb) Hanie, we’ll work them at practice as well today and continue to evaluate them in today and tomorrow’s practices.”

Until the injury, Campbell had completed 87 of 153 pass attempts (56.9 percent) for 933 yards and six touchdowns against three interceptions in four starts for the Browns. It is the seventh time in the last eight years that Campbell has started multiple games and carried a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio.

“Just getting him back in the locker room, I think everyone felt a sense of relief in terms of continuity,” Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner said following Thursday’s walk-through. “We’re going to work all three guys and make sure that we’ve covered all the bases in getting ready and going to play a very good football team.

“He is cleared to practice, and that’s obviously, the next step. I’m not a doctor, but he’s been real sharp in the meetings and seems to be doing well. The doctors have to confirm that. We’ll see how he is, if he is able to play and how he can go through.”

While Campbell prepares to take the next step toward his return to the football field, the Browns will continue to rotate veteran Caleb Hanie and second-year pro Alex Tanney in to get reps with the Browns’ first-team offense.

“It’s a challenge,” Turner said. “Alex was here last week. He got a little bit of familiarity. Caleb has, obviously, played some and been in a system similar to others. I thought both guys did well yesterday. We’re just trying to get them up to speed as fast as we can.”